VW sales down after emissions scandal

Sales of Volkswagen cars have fallen by 20% in November, in the fall out of the emissions scandal, according to industry figures. Unsurprising, but there we go.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said there were 12,958 VW registrations last month, compared to 16,196 in November 2014, which follows the news that VW had fitted cheat-software in their cars, so they could circumnavigate emissions tests for nitrogen oxides. It affected 11 million diesel vehicles around the world.

The figures showed that other brands have seen a decline in sales too, with VW brands SEAT down 24%, Skoda 11%, and Audi 4%.

This is bad news for VW, as overall registrations for the month were actually up by 3.8%.

SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: "November's figures come as a reminder of the strength of the UK car market, as low interest rates and competitive finance deals continue to attract consumers to new car ownership. We have been expecting a levelling-off in demand for some time now - a development that is being realised following an unprecedented three-and-a-half years of non-stop growth."

VW meanwhile have had a boardroom clear-out, and have put aside £4.8bn to sort all this out. We suspect that this amount of money isn't going to be nearly enough.